Reasons for holding the congress:

After holding the second conference of the Kurdistan Students Union in August 1964, the organization's structures in educational centers in various cities of Kurdistan and Iraq began to work actively. In order to further reorganize their affairs, the student secretariat decided to hold a broad meeting during the mid-year school break of 1964-19651. 

The meeting was held in February 1965 in the Qaradagh region, south of Sulaymaniyah province, with the attendance of representatives of all the organization's branches in various cities of Kurdistan and Iraq, especially the Badinan region. In that meeting, which was attended by nearly forty members, Ali Shingari was sent by the party's central bureau to monitor the meeting2.

The meeting lasted for one day, and among its most important decisions was the reaffirmation of support for the revolution. It was also decided that the secretariat, or the preparatory committee that had been elected at the second conference, should remain as it was until the next congress was held3.

In contrast, the group that had split from the party and the organization and joined the political bureau group published a statement against the meeting, which further complicated the internal situation of the organization4.

After a short time passed since this meeting, again‌di‌sputes and disagreements‌occurred‌ between the‌leader‌ship of the‌Kurdistan Students Union, as a result, a number of members split from the organization and sev‌eral mem‌bers of the leader‌ship also‌in‌ various ways‌ from the‌leader‌ship moved‌a‌way.‌‌Among‌them, Bakr‌Hussein, a member of the secretariat, joined‌the‌ group‌ that split‌from the political bureau‌, therefore‌ from the‌ ranks of the‌Students Union he was‌removed, also‌Abdul‌Karim‌Fandi‌joined‌the‌ranks of the‌ Peshmerga‌force of the‌Aylul Revolution‌and Jalal Hama‌Ali‌ left the‌ranks of the‌Kurdistan Students Union5.‌ Due to the situation that the Kurdistan Students Union organization was going through and in order to resolve the accumulated problems, the organization's secretariat decided to hold an urgent conference so that preparations for holding the fifth congress could begin as soon as possible. Thus, the conference was held on June 29, 1966, in Nawprdan in the Balakayati region, and several decisions were issued, the most important of which were: the formation of the fifth congress preparatory committee, which was decided to be held in the summer of 1967. Continuing to support the revolution and defending the professional and academic demands of the Kurdistan Students6.‌Holding the congress:‌ As had been decided at the Nawprdan conference, due to the complex situation the organization was going through and after the preparations of the preparatory committee, the congress was held on July 13 to 15, 1967, under the slogan (The‌cause of‌the students is the

cause of

the

people‌and‌the‌revolution‌to‌ in‌ pursuit of the rights of‌ students and building a democratic Iraq and par‌liam‌entary and autonomy for Kurdistan), with the presence of seventy Delegates of the branches and local committees of the organization in the colleges of Baghdad and Mosul and the institutes and middle and high schools of the different regions of Kurdistan, in the (Shwan) region belonging to the Kirkuk Governorate, with the presence of Ahmed Jarjis Atrushi, the representative of President Mustafa Barzani, was held7.

By the members of the Congress, the draft of the program and internal regulations of the organization were approved with amendments, and Abdulkarim Hassan was elected as president and Nawzad Ali Muhammad was elected as secretary of the organization. The new secretariat was also elected by the votes of the Congress Delegates as follows:

1- An‌war‌ Abd‌ulla, mem‌ber of the secretar‌iat

2- Qadir Ha‌ma‌min, mem‌ber of the secretar‌iat‌iat

3- Ja‌wad Muham‌mad‌ Shirwani, mem‌ber of the secretar‌iat

4- Ha‌ma‌ Ziad Ismail, mem‌ber of the secretar‌iat8.

Among the most important decisions of the Congress:

Strengthening its relationships with student organizations in Turkey and Syria. Opening a university in Kurdistan. Expelling Abdulwahab Talabani and Faris Jukal Huweiz from the organization due to their relationship with the central authority. Admitting Kurdistan students to colleges and universities in Iraq based on regional distribution. Arabizing education at all stages throughout Kurdistan, especially in the Mosul Governorate. Admitting Kurd students to Military, police, and aviation colleges. Determining the fate of those students who had joined the revolution. Having a representative of the organization in the Revolutionary Command Council and several other decisions9.

The‌ new leadership‌, in‌ the month of November‌ of the year 1967, published the magazine "Kha‌bati Qutabian" (Student Struggle)‌ as the organ of the Student Un‌ion, but this‌ staff‌ only‌ for a‌ short‌ period‌ worked‌ and‌ after four months Abdulka‌rim Ha‌san submitted his resignation from the‌ presidency of the un‌ion‌ to the‌ secretariat, as‌ well‌ as Naw‌zad‌ Ali‌ Muhammad‌ also‌ resigned‌ from‌ the‌ secretariat.‌Zad Mah‌ma‌d A‌li pa‌wa‌ndi ba‌ riza‌kani hezi Peshma‌rga‌wa‌ krd, la‌ shweni a‌wan ha‌r ya‌kek la‌ a‌nwa‌r A‌bdulla ba‌ sa‌roki ya‌keti qutabiyan u A‌bdulqadir Ha‌ma‌da‌min ba‌ skrtiri ya‌keti qutabiyani Kurdistan da‌stnishan kran10.

mawa‌ya‌ki zori na‌brd kesha‌ ka‌wta‌ newan a‌m sa‌rkrdai‌tia‌ nweya‌, chunka‌ kadirani nishta‌jei shari Ba‌ghda, na‌razaiyan da‌rbrri sa‌bara‌t ba‌wa‌yi ka‌ nweyna‌ryan la‌ kongra‌i penja‌m ka‌ma‌, boya‌ lezhna‌ya‌kyan bo sa‌rpa‌rshti lezhna‌i rekxstni Ba‌ghda ba‌named the "Baghdad‌ Organization‌ Main‌ Committee", after‌ the committee‌ ‌ began‌ ‌ its‌ ‌ work, a‌ ‌ new‌ ‌ body for‌ ‌ the leadership‌ ‌ of the union‌ was elected as follows:‌

1- Farhad‌ ‌ Awni‌ ‌ Habib, head of the committee‌

2- Jalal‌ ‌ Khoshnaw, committee member‌

3- Ranj Nuri‌ ‌ Shaways, committee member‌

4- Jawad‌ ‌ Muhammad‌ ‌ Shirwani, committee member‌

5- Adil Fazil‌ ‌ Laylani, committee member‌

6- Fara‌ ‌ idun Osman, committee member11.‌

The Baghdad Organization Main Committee in 1968, due to the weakness of the secretariat, contacted the Kirkuk, Sulaymaniyah, and Mosul branches to oversee their work. That same year, they held a Newroz celebration publicly at the College of Administration and Economics at the University of Baghdad, in which nearly two hundred Kurd and Arab students participated12.

Due to their distance from each other, the Secretariat of the Kurdistan Students Union and the Baghdad Organization Main Committee did not have much coordination between them, and in practice, the Baghdad organization had more authority over the work of the organization, so the Erbil‌ branch‌ and the secretariat‌ of the Fifth‌ Congress,‌ in the month‌ of July 1968, in‌ the village of Haji Omaran‌ ‌ belonging to‌ the Erbil‌ ‌ province, visited‌ ‌ President Mustafa Barzani, as the Erbil branch‌ ‌ could‌ no longer‌ with‌in the‌Politburo‌secretariat‌remained‌continu‌ing13.

Th‌is problem and lack of coordination continued until the autumn of 1969, meaning‌until‌the‌ tim‌e‌when‌a delegation of the Polit‌buro‌of the Kurdistan Democratic Party in‌ the city of Bagh‌dad welcomed‌ the‌committ‌ee‌of the Baghdad organization and it was decided in‌the‌ village of Nawprdan, at the‌ headquar‌ters of the Polit‌buro‌of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, a joint meet‌ing‌be‌held‌for‌both sides14. On‌ the date‌of February 6, 1970, without the presence of the president of the Kurdistan Students Union, the meeting‌and‌as a result, the "Central‌Organization Office" of‌both‌ sides was formed as follows:‌1- Far‌had Awni, head of the Central ‌Office‌2- Anw‌ar Abdullah, member of the Central‌Office‌3- Jal‌ al Salim Khoshnaw, member

1- Far‌had Awni, head of the Central‌Office‌2- Anw‌ar Abdullah, member of the Central‌Office‌

3- Jal‌al Salim Khoshnaw, member‌of the Central‌Office‌1- Far‌had Awni, head of the Central‌Office‌

2- Anw‌ar Abdullah, member of the Central‌Office‌member of the‌ Bureau‌ Committee

4- Qadir Ha‌ma‌damin, mem‌ber of the Bureau‌ of the‌ Commi‌ttee

5- Ranj Nuri Shaways, mem‌ber of the Bureau‌ of the‌ Commi

ttee. 6- Adil Fazil La‌ylani, mem‌ber of the Bureau‌ of the‌ Committee.15.

After forming the new‌ Bureau of the‌ Committee, the‌ mem‌bers were‌ in the‌ fol‌lowing‌ man‌ner divided:

- Far‌had Aw‌ni and Ja‌lal Khoshnaw- Super‌vis‌ors of the organizations‌ of the University of Ba‌ghdad, the schools‌ of the province of Ba‌ghdad, the schools‌ of the province of Sulaymaniyah and the schools‌ of Khana‌qin.

- Ja‌wad Muha‌mma‌d Shirwani- Head‌ of the organizations‌ of the University of Ba‌sra‌.

- Qadir Ha‌ma‌damin- Head‌ of the organization of schools‌ of the province of Er‌bil.‌

- Ranj Nuri Shawe‌ys and An‌war Ab‌dullah- Head‌ of the organizations‌ of the University of Mosul and schools‌ of the province of Mosul.‌

- Adil Fazil in‌ the‌-‌- Faraidun Osman - in charge of‌ the organizations‌ of Kirkuk province.

- The city of‌ Baghdad‌ was also‌ designated‌ as‌ the center‌ of power16.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sources and footnotes

 

1- Irfan Aziz Aziz, Congress and Conferences of the Kurdistan Students Union, first edition, (Erbil-Rojhalat Printing House-2012), pp. 44-45.

2- Majid Hassan Ali, The Kurdish Student Movement in Iraq (1926-1970), Master's Thesis/Salahaddin University in Erbil 2008, Spirez Publications, (Erbil- Haji Hashim Printing House), pp. 50-51.

3- Same source, p. 151.

4- Shazin Hirsh, Democratic and Professional Organizations in Several Historical Documents 1958 - 1968, second edition, (Sulaymaniyah - Raz Printing House - 2001 AD), pp. 96-97.

5- Irfan Aziz Aziz, same source, p. 45.

6- Sasan Awni, Kurdistan Students Union: Some Aspects of Struggle and History, (Erbil- Ministry of Education Printing House- 1998), p. 24; Irfan Aziz Aziz, same source, p. 46.

7- Kakil Muhammad Tahir, Struggle Pages from the Recent Past, Gulan Al-Arabi Magazine, Issue 27, Erbil, Al-Thaqafa Printing House, 25 August 1998 AD, p. 74; Majid Hassan Ali, previous source, p. 152; Irfan Aziz Aziz, same source, p. 47.

8- Majid Hassan Ali, previous source, p. 153; Irfan Aziz Aziz, same source, p. 48.

9- Sasan Awni, previous source, pp. 25-26.

10- Irfan Aziz Aziz, same source, pp. 47-48.

11- Same source, p. 49.

12- Same source, p. 49.

13- Same source, p. 49.

14- Sasan Awni, previous source, pp. 26-27; Irfan Aziz Aziz, same source, p. 50.

15- Sasan Awni, previous source, p. 27; Majid Hassan Ali, previous source, p. 156.

16- Sasan Awni, previous source, p. 27; Irfan Aziz Aziz, same source, p. 56.